PHNOM PENH -- Cambodia has unveiled some measures to support local manufacturers and exporters if the European Union (EU) temporarily strips trade preferences from the kingdom.

The EU began on Tuesday the 18-month process that could lead to the temporary suspension of Cambodia's duty-free trading access to the EU market under the Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme due to concerns over human rights and labor rights. (Cambodia-EU-Export)

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BANGKOK -- Thailand's Election Commission (EC) has launched a bid to have a political party dissolved for having named Princess Ubolratana Mahidol as candidate for prime minister, according to a statement on Wednesday.

The agency resolved on Tuesday to petition the Constitutional Court to take into consideration the dissolution of Thai Raksa Chart Party which had nominated Princess Ubolratana as its sole candidate for prime minister in the March election. (Thailand-Party)

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TOKYO -- Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc. (TEPCO), operator of the stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, attempted to make direct contact with melted fuel at the bottom of one of the crippled reactors on Wednesday by using a device that can grip onto objects.

TEPCO said the device will be inserted into the primary containment vessel to survey the No. 2 reactor at the disaster-hit plant, in the hope that the device will be able to find out whether the melted fuel accumulating at the bottom of the reactor can be extracted or not. (Japan-Nuclear Plant)

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SEOUL -- The South Korean parliamentary speaker refused to apologize for his comment on Japan's emperor after he called on Emperor Akihito to apologize for Japan's sex slavery of Korean women before and during World War II, South Korea's Yonhap news agency reported Wednesday.

National Assembly Speaker Moon Hee-sang was quoted as saying the most fundamental in the "comfort women" issue is only one that is a heartfelt apology from Japan and that what he emphasized was the reason why Japan was dragging it out for so long. (S. Korea-Japan-Apology) Enditem

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